Life that doesn't move forward

Two years will soon have passed since the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. Every time I walk through the town of Kuroshima, where vast vacant lots have been created as a result of publicly funded demolition work, in the middle of a snowstorm, I feel overwhelmed by the reality that there is no prospect of rebuilding our lives. My head is filled with anxiety, and there are times when I feel like just flying away, somewhere far away.

I have calmly considered whether it would be quicker to change my attitude and move to a new place to establish the foundations for food, clothing, shelter, and work.However, more than that, by living here, bonds between people and the community are built, the good old houses and townscapes are preserved, and with each passing day, the culture of life is passed down and developed...I find small joys in these everyday things, and I am grateful for them.

The wild ocean that stretches out before you is majestic, and its pristine appearance is overwhelming. This coast was once a port of call for Kitamae-bune ships, and many people and diverse cultures came and went, but now there is almost no trace of that. New topography and ecosystems are emerging on the uplifted beach, and it changes every moment with the weather and the tides. As I walk along this sandy beach, I cannot help but believe that as long as this life continues, the journey of searching for my own way of life will become a path, and that the steps ahead will lead me to the depths of life.

Where and how to live

What is it about Wajima that draws me so much to it?

Lacquer, people, the natural beauty of the Satoyama and Satoumi, life throughout the seasons, traditional culture... beloved scenery and irreplaceable things are vibrantly present in everyday life. Since moving here in 2008, it seems that Noto has become his "spiritual home" without him even realizing it, and he is reflecting on this again.

Even though the government has sent us survey forms and other materials, we have been unable to give any concrete answers regarding the future outlook, and we feel like postponing the rebuilding effort. However, the feelings we had when we moved from the center of Wajima to Kuroshima-cho in 2023 to set up a lacquer workshop, and our desire to cherish this environment, remain unchanged. The old house that we had originally planned to renovate will be vacant this autumn, and that dream will no longer come true. However, it is precisely because of the earthquake that we have been able to encounter many new people and take on new challenges, with our original intentions intact. We feel that the only way we can overcome the various challenges that lie ahead is by doing our best here and now.

Spring 2025: Resuming lacquer work

I resumed my lacquering work. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized how grateful I was to be able to continue applying lacquer and creating in such a quiet and peaceful environment. Holding my own brushes and spatulas gave me a sense of satisfaction, and I came to my senses once again, thinking, "That's it! This has been my everyday life."

That said, the tea bowls stored with lacquer are still covered in dust from falling in the earthquake, and spilled lacquer has hardened into thick layers on the tools, so the situation is still a mess. As the entire process, from the base coat to the top coat, is carried out consistently, there is a lot of equipment and tools, and the temporary workshop looks like a warehouse, with cardboard boxes piled up.

Even so, when I work with my hands, I feel calm and focused. "I'll keep creating like this," I feel energy well up from within my body. Although it's been over a year since the earthquake, my body still remembers each and every step, and my tools act as an extension of my hands, as I continue to apply layers of lacquer to my vessels today.

I want to circulate Japanese culture

Living and applying lacquer in Wajima, there is a tendency for work to be divided according to the definition, customs, and division of labor of Wajima lacquerware. Being vertically divided, sometimes called a base craftsman and sometimes a lacquer artist, can leave me with mixed feelings. In reality, the people involved in lacquering in Wajima each have their own style, and they are intertwined, like plants spreading their roots in all directions in the forest soil. I intend to fulfill my role by continuing to express and create creatively.

I design my pieces and have a strong image of the shape and finish, including the materials and processes I will use to create them. This is a production style I have cultivated over the years I spent studying at school and the Wajima Lacquerware Technical Training Center, and training under a master. When I create a number of lacquerware items such as bowls and chopsticks, I ask woodworkers to create the wooden base based on my drawings and models. When creating dry lacquerware pieces, I make prototypes out of clay or plaster myself. I then apply lacquer to the wood base or prototype (kyushitsu), and I do all the other work myself, from hardening the wood base to applying the base coat, polishing, intermediate coat, and top coat.

Considering the efficiency of the work, it might be better to commission each process within the framework of a division of labor, but because of the nature of lacquerware, where the undercoat becomes invisible once a top coat is applied, I want to apply the lacquer and polish it myself, working honestly at each step.

Lacquer is a liquid extracted from the lacquer tree, and each type has its own unique characteristics. I want to keep Japanese culture circulating by making use of this natural material, living in harmony with the seasons, and continuing to create works that reflect the rhythms of nature.

A Love Letter to Wajima

In the spring of 2025, I had another happy event. That was the publication of a book. After the earthquake, I began living in evacuation shelters, and was unable to work with lacquerware for a long time, so I was compiling the book. I named the book "Wajima Sanka" (Wajima Hymn) with the desire to connect the charm of this local climate and the culture of lacquerware.

Noto's culture, which coexists with the changing of nature, the lives of its people, which have been nurtured as if rooted in the land, and its simple landscapes are treasures that we want to pass on to future generations. Living here, one feels as if the climate and the rhythm of the 24 solar terms of the calendar are perfectly in tune, and the pages of this book begin with Risshun (beginning of February) and end with Daikan (end of January). This book is a compilation of photographs of the scenery and life of Wajima over the course of each season, as well as essays written like a diary while working with lacquerware. We hope that through sketches of the four seasons, you will be able to experience the comfort of "traveling as if you were living" in Wajima.

In the state of impermanence

Fruits sparkle in the cloudy skies during a cold snap, and flowers add a vibrant glow to the barren fields. When you spot daffodil buds beginning to swell along the roadside, you realize that a new year is fast approaching. It feels as though the plants you encounter along the way are telling you to cherish the vestiges of the past year and accept the changing scenery of the new year as it is.

“Wajima News ~While looking up at the starry sky~” is…

Yukiko Akiyama, a lacquer artist who lives in Wajima, writes ``Wajima News ~While looking up at the starry sky~''. 30 minutes by car from the center of Wajima City. The Kuroshima area, located in the northwestern part of the Noto Peninsula, flourished as a residence for Kitamae-bune ship owners and sailors, and its beautiful landscape with black-tiled roofs has been designated as a nationally important preservation district for groups of traditional buildings. I did. After 16 years in Wajima, lacquer artist Yukiko Akiyama set up a workshop in an old private house in the Kuroshima district, and was just about to work on her work while restoring it, when she was struck by the earthquake. Like many buildings, Akiyama's workshop collapsed. Although there is no prospect of resuming production in her workshop, she will continue to work with lacquer here, and while working on the town development of Kuroshima, she will aim to rebuild the Noto Peninsula and solidify her resolve to start a new life. I am. The rich lifestyle of Kuroshima in the past, the beautiful nature, the interaction with people, the passion for lacquer, and the current situation of the disaster area... She is a woman who lives her daily life in the disaster-stricken area and strives for reconstruction, but at the same time, she depicts the true image of Noto as depicted by a woman who deals seriously with lacquer.